The present invention relates to a resin sealing apparatus and a resin sealing method that are used for sealing a desired portion of a semiconductor device with a resin at a stage of manufacturing the semiconductor device.
Some semiconductor devices have a resin sealing on portions of a semiconductor chip mounted on a lead frame, and a connection portion between the semiconductor chip and the lead frame (hereinafter to be simply referred to as an inner bonding portion). As these semiconductor devices have the semiconductor chip and the inner bonding portion covered with a seal resin, it is possible to prevent the semiconductor chip and the inner bonding portion from being affected by disturbance of temperature, humidity, shock, and pressure.
FIG. 13A to FIG. 13D show a sequence of a conventional method of sealing a semiconductor device with a resin. According to this resin sealing method, a semiconductor chip 3 is first mounted on a die pad section 2 of a lead frame 1, as shown in FIG. 13A and FIG. 13B. Then, the inner lead of the lead frame 1 and the bonding pad of the semiconductor chip 3 are connected with a conductor like a gold line (inner bonding), and the lead frame 1 is set in a mold 4.
The mold 4 has an upper mold 4a and a lower mold 4b disposed such that they can be mutually opened and closed. Cavity structuring sections 4a1 and 4b1 are provided in the upper mold 4a and the lower mold 4b to face each other. The cavity structuring sections 4a1 and 4b1 are structured to form a cavity 5 that is large enough to accommodate the semiconductor chip 3 and the inner bonding portion in the cavity 5, when the upper mold 4a and the lower mold 4b are closed together. Accordingly, the die pad section 2 of the lead frame 1 mounted with the semiconductor chip 3 and the inner bonding portion are accommodated in the cavity 5, as shown in FIG. 13C. In this state, a molten resin is charged into the cavity 5, and is then cured. As a result, it is possible to manufacture a semiconductor device 7 having only a desired portion sealed with a seal resin 6.
According to the resin sealing method, the seal resin 6 of the semiconductor device 7 is formed in a shape that matches the shape of the cavity 5 provided on the mold 4. Therefore, when it is desired to change external sizes like thickness, width and length of the sealed resin 6 or an external shape of the sealed resin 6 in the semiconductor device 7, it is not possible to achieve this unless the shape of the cavity of the mold 4 is changed. For example, when it is desired to manufacture a semiconductor device 7xe2x80x2 having a large thickness of a sealed resin 6xe2x80x2 as shown in FIG. 14A, it is necessary to prepare a new mold 4xe2x80x2 having a cavity 5xe2x80x2 that matches the thickness of the sealed resin 6xe2x80x2 as shown in FIG. 14B, even if other structures remain unchanged.
In order to manufacture the new mold 4xe2x80x2, it is necessary to prepare a design of this mold, and then manufacture this mold, which takes time. This makes it difficult to promptly meet the requirement. Further, the cost of manufacturing the new mold 4xe2x80x2 leads to an increase in the cost of manufacturing the semiconductor device. Furthermore, in the case of continuously manufacturing semiconductor devices having different external sizes like thickness, width and length of sealed resins or different external shapes of sealed resins, it is necessary to replace the mold each time of manufacturing a different semiconductor device. Consequently, this work interrupts the improvement in production efficiency.
It is an object of this invention to provide a resin sealing apparatus and a resin sealing method capable of promptly meeting the requirement when it is necessary to change external sizes or an external shape of a sealed resin, capable of reducing the cost of manufacturing a semiconductor device, and capable of improving production efficiency.
The resin sealing apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a mold having a main cavity in which a portion of a semiconductor device to be sealed with a resin is disposed; and an external-shape regulating member detachably accommodated in the main cavity of the mold, for forming a new cavity within the main cavity.
According to the above-mentioned aspect, it is possible to change external sizes or an external shape of the sealed resin, by accommodating the external-shape regulating member in the main cavity of the mold.
The resin sealing apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention comprises a pair of molds having a main cavity there between in which a portion of a semiconductor device to be sealed with a resin is disposed; and a spacer member detachably disposed between the pair of molds, for forming a new cavity between the pair of molds.
According to the above-mentioned aspect, it is possible to change external sizes and an external shape of a sealed resin, by disposing the spacer member between the pair of molds.
The resin sealing apparatus according to still another aspect of the present invention comprises a mold having a main cavity in which a portion of a semiconductor device to be sealed with a resin is disposed; and an external-shape regulating member disposed such that it can proceed to and recede from the main cavity of the mold, thereby to form a new cavity within the main cavity when the external-shape regulating member has proceeded.
According to above-mentioned aspect, it is possible to change external sizes and an external shape of a sealed resin, by making the external-shape regulating member proceed to the main cavity.
The resin sealing apparatus according to still another aspect of the present invention comprises a pair of molds for forming a main cavity between the molds, wherein a molten resin is charged into the main cavity and the molten resin is cured in a status that a portion of a semiconductor device to be sealed with the resin is disposed in the main cavity of the molds, wherein a portion of the mold that constitutes a peripheral wall of the main cavity is provided such that the height of this portion can be changed.
According to the above-mentioned aspect, it is possible to change external sizes and an external shape of a sealed resin, by changing the height of the portion of the mold that constitutes the peripheral wall of the main cavity.
The resin sealing method according to still another aspect of the present invention comprises selecting whether an external-shape regulating member for forming a new cavity is to be positioned inside a main cavity of a mold in advance or not, in accordance with a semiconductor device to be manufactured; disposing a portion of the semiconductor device to be sealed with a resin in the main cavity of the mold or the new cavity; and charging a molten resin into the main cavity of the mold or the new cavity, and curing the molten resin.
According to the above-mentioned aspect, it is possible to change external sizes and an external shape of a sealed resin by selecting whether the external-shape regulating member is to be accommodated in the main cavity of the mold or not.
The resin sealing method according to still another aspect of the present invention comprises selecting a external-shape regulating member that is to be positioned in a main cavity of a mold from among a plurality of kinds of external-shape regulating members in accordance with a semiconductor device to be manufactured, and forming a new cavity in the main cavity of the mold with the selected external-shape regulating member; disposing a portion of the semiconductor device to be sealed with a resin in the new cavity; and charging a molten resin into the new cavity, and curing the molten resin.
According to the above-mentioned aspect, it is possible to change external sizes and an external shape of a sealed resin depending on a kind of an external-shape regulating member that is accommodated in the main cavity of the mold.
The resin sealing method according to still another aspect of the present invention comprises selecting whether or not a spacer member for forming a new cavity is to be disposed in advance between a pair of molds that form a main cavity, in accordance with a semiconductor device to be manufactured; disposing a portion of the semiconductor device to be sealed with a resin in the main cavity of the mold or the new cavity; and charging a molten resin into the main cavity of the mold or the new cavity, and curing the molten resin.
According to the above-mentioned aspect, it is possible to change external sizes and an external shape of a sealed resin by selecting whether the spacer member is to be disposed between the pair of molds or not.
The resin sealing method according to still another aspect of the present invention comprises selecting a spacer member that is to be disposed between a pair of molds from among a plurality of kinds of spacer members in accordance with a semiconductor device to be manufactured, and forming a new cavity between the pair of molds with the selected spacer member; disposing a portion of the semiconductor device to be sealed with a resin in the new cavity; and charging a molten resin into the new cavity, and curing the molten resin.
According to the above-mentioned aspect, it is possible to change external sizes and an external shape of a sealed resin depending on a kind of a spacer member that is disposed between the pair of molds.
The resin sealing method according to still another aspect of the present invention comprises applying a mold having a portion that constitutes a peripheral wall of a main cavity of which height can be adjusted, and adjusting the height of the portion of the mold that constitutes the peripheral wall of the main cavity in the mold, in accordance with a semiconductor device to be manufactured; disposing a portion of the semiconductor device to be sealed with a resin into the new cavity; and charging a molten resin into the new cavity, and curing the molten resin.
According to the above-mentioned aspect, it is possible to change external sizes and an external shape of a sealed resin by adjusting the height of the portion of the mold.
Other objects and features of this invention will become apparent from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings.